A new study, presented at the annual Academy of Neurology meeting in Chicago this month suggests that Vitamin E, particularly when combined with a cholinesterase inhibitor, extends the lifetimes of Alzheimer’s sufferers by a significant amount.

The researchers analyzed the survival rates of 847 people who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

An impaired insulin response and poor glucose tolerance, two characteristics of diabetes, may lead to an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in later life according to a recent study published online in the journal Neurology on April 9.

The study, conducted by Swedish researchers, involved data from the Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men which followed 2,269 men aged 50 years in 1970 for an average period of 32 years. At the beginning of the study, the men were tested for both insulin response and glucose tolerance.

A history of depression, particularly at an early age, is associated with an almost four-fold increase in the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease according to a recent study published in the April 08 edition of the journal Neurology.

The researchers, based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, analyzed 486 people between the ages of 60 or 90 who were free of dementia at the beginning of the study. The participants were followed for a period of six years during which 33 people (6.6%) developed Alzheimer’s disease.

Scientists at the University of North Dakota have found that as little as one cup of coffee a day might be enough to protect the brain from Alzheimer’s disease by strengthening the blood-brain barrier (BBB).

In the study, published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation, researchers used New Zealand white rabbits to examine the effects of a high cholesterol diet and/or high levels of caffeine consumption on the blood-brain barrier.

Abdominal fat is already known to be a strong risk factor for both heart disease and diabetes however a new study, published this month in the journal Neurology, has suggested that those with excess fat around the abdomen may be at almost a three times greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias later in life.

6,583 middle-aged adults from the Kaiser Permanente organization in Northern California took part in the study during the 1960s and 70s which involved the measurement of individuals Sagittal Abdominal Diameter (SAD).

A new study, out of the University of Washington, has suggested that there is a strong genetic component to Alzheimer’s disease. The study found that an individuals chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease are almost three times greater if both parents have been diagnosed with the disease.

The study, known as the Conjugal Alzheimer’s Disease Study, was funded by the National Institute on Aging and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and involved follow-up of the 111 families in which both parents had been diagnosed with the disease.

Several studies have suggested a link between high formal education levels and a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, research has shown a tendency for those in highly skilled occupations to be less likely to develop the disease than those in lower skilled, “blue-collar” jobs.

A recent study presented in the journal Neurology, analyzed data taken from the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Dementia study (CAIDE) to determine the extent of the relationship between education and the development of dementia.

Several studies have suggested that estrogen loss in women may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

One such study involved over 8,800 female residents of a retirement community situated in Laguna Hills, southern California. The residents were surveyed on various health related questions in 1981. Over the 11 year study period, 138 of the participants were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias likely to be Alzheimer’s disease.

Amyloid plaques, found in the brains of Alzheimer’s sufferers, can form in as little as a few hours according to a recent American study published in the science journal Nature.

Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute for Neuro-degenerative Disease analyzed the brains of mice bred to develop amyloid plaques using an advanced microscopic imaging technique known as “multiphoton laser confocal microscopy” in order to view the formation of the plaques and the subsequent damage as it occurred in the brains of the mice.

A new study has found that some of the most popular fruits, including bananas, apples, and oranges all contain antioxidants that reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Researchers at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York tested phenolic phytochemicals derived from bananas, oranges, and apples on neuron cells. The researchers found that all three of the fruits protected the neuron cells from oxidative stress and prevented neurotoxicity. Apples were found to have the highest levels of beneficial antioxidants.

While many have heard that Marijuana can help reduce the symptoms of brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and can ease some of the side effects of cancer, several studies have also shown that the drug may have potential benefits for Alzheimer’s sufferers.

In two separate studies conducted on rats, one at the Cajal Institute in Madrid, Spain and the other at the Scripps Research Institute in California, the active ingredient in marijuana, known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC was found to be

While there are some Alzheimer’s risk factors, such as age and a family history of Alzheimer’s disease that cannot be changed, there are many things you can do to reduce your chances of getting the disease. Here are seven easy ways to slow down or prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

#1 Eat fish at least twice a week or take a fish or flax oil supplement

Omega-3, found in oily fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel as well as flax oil and spinach, has been found to prevent and slow the build up of plaques in the brain.

A recent United States study has documented a case where an arthritis drug called Etanercept, (also known as Enbrel), caused a rapid improvement in the cognitive function of a patient with Alzheimer’s disease with minutes of the drug being injected into the patients spine.

According to the authors of the study, the patient initially appeared agitated and could not recall the state he lived in but just ten minutes after treatment, he was more relaxed, attentive, and could correctly name the state.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids found in fish oil may slow or prevent Alzheimer’s disease according to a recent study at the University of California (UCLA) at Los Angeles.

The study, which was published in the December 26 edition of the Journal of Neuroscience found that one of the omega-3 fatty acids known as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) stimulates the production of a protein called LR11. This protein prevents the build up of the protein beta amyloid, which is toxic to brain cells and is found in the brains of Alzheimer’s sufferers.

A recent American study, conducted by researchers from the University of Rhode Island, has found that monkeys exposed to trace amounts of lead during their childhood were more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease later in life.

The study involved two groups of baby monkeys, one group were fed a milk formula containing trace amounts of lead for their first 400 days of life, while the other received a lead-free formula.